Flame structure: R. M. Fristrom and A. A. Westenberg. McGraw-Hill: New York and London, 1965. xiii+424 pp. $17.50 or 140s

✍ Scribed by A.G. Gaydon

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1966
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 94 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0010-2180
• DOI: 10.1016/0010-2180(66)90033-2

✦ Synopsis

STUDIES of the detailed structure of the reaction zones of flames have been greatly advanced by the recent use of physical and chemical techniques such as the optical study of refractive-index gradients, detailed temperature tracing with small thermocouples, mass spectrometry, optical spectroscopy, and gas chromatography. The authors of this book are among the, leaders in this type of research and this is a most valuable account of the present state of knowledge, and deals with techniques, the results and their inteilaretation.

The emphasis is on the micro-structure of the reaction zones of flames of premixed gases, and the title could be slightly misleading. The definition of flame (p 4) is apparently chosen to exclude detonation flames, and actually relatively little is said about diffusion flames, cool flames or turbulent flames. Chapters on 'The Macroscopic Structure of Flames' 'Burner Systems' and 'Aerodynamic Measurements in Flames' do serve to set the background for the more detailed studies but many subjects receive only brief mention, e.g. cellular flames, low-pressure flames, carbon formation and flame ionization. The discussion on the effects of probes during sampling, and on distortion of optical images by refractive index gradients are fully and well done.

As mino~ points of criticism, the following may be worthy of note. The use of the term 'flame velo-